December & Review of 2022

Posted by on Jan 15, 2023 | 0 comments Kevin Piper Reports: Much is being said about there having been a wet spring, but the Gully has dried out rapidly and more rain would be a real benefit. When some rain was predicted mid-December I (with family help) planted 10 home-grown trees around the slip by the Twin Gums, but the rain didn’t come to much and I don’t like their chances. Also planted were a dozen Teucridium. If they survive,...
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November 2022 Report

Posted by on Dec 29, 2022 | 0 comments Will Reports: The end of another year coming up and thanks to everyone of the group who have helped over the year. The project is not complete – will it ever? But the replanting is just about over except for the maintenance and replacement of the expired. The trapping continues of course and, despite the predator free effort, probably for all time. Hopefully we will have some sort of...
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October Report 2022

Posted by on Nov 7, 2022 | 0 comments Will Reports: David Burt and Kevin Piper have been working on repairing the steps at the Twin Gums and were joined by Greg Pickford and Ross Cullen. Still a bit more to do but good progress. Ross Cullen also Reported: Hi Will, Hope you are well. Two work parties up the gully today. I smoothed the upper track felled the big hawthorn at saddle, cut it into chunks. Kevin, David and Greg worked on...
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September Report

Posted by on Oct 3, 2022 | 0 comments Kevin Piper Reports: The heavy rains in August brought three big slips down through the gully, The biggest of these came through at he Twin Gums and continued on down the creek. This slip has taken out quite a few established trees and vegetation, leaving a wide swathe down to the creek. Will and I have cleared the steps at the Twin Gums, but the handrails have yet to be fixed. We have tidied...
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August Report

Posted by on Sep 5, 2022 | 0 comments Will Reports: A bit of a wipe out this month and after a quick check up the gully we have lost a number of plants around the Twin Gums. Sorry to say a couple of good trees too, a beech and a kahikatia, both well established, just gone! Our large rock full of fossils also just gone! At least one sign is still there, hanging in a tree. The track in from Hill Street is blocked by a slip below the...
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July Report 2022

Posted by on Aug 4, 2022 | 0 comments Alastair Mackintosh Reports:Hi Will. Nothing to report concerning trapping this past month. Traps all still set but no nasties. May need a change of bait. Much to the annoyance of the tui, friend kākā is still visiting and fairly tame. In changing the bottle on the feeder, I am able to extend my hand to as close as 25 cm when it will just hop away. What I find interesting is that it does not...
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June Report 2022

Posted by on Jul 25, 2022 | 0 comments Will Reports: Brian Hirst donated 160 odd native plants and nearly all have been planted. Along with Ross McDonald’s and Janice Gibbs donations, over 300 have been planted this season already.  More thieves stealing traps and tunnels plus others damaging some.  This month, on Mike Oliver’s top of the ridge line.  Last month one of our people received some excessive abuse and threatening...
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May Report 2022

Posted by on Jun 5, 2022 | 0 comments Remembering Allan Hart In some small way this is to thank Allan for all his help both with conservation work and companionship he has given me over all the years. In 1998 he “introduced” me to the Richmond Hills by way of getting me to help him cutting out weeds, the likes of old man’s beard, passion vine, nightshade, gorse and such. We wandered through all the valleys that run down to Richmond:...
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April Report 2022

Posted by on May 11, 2022 | 0 comments Will Reports: A big thank you to Janice Gibbs! Courtesy of the birds, she had many totara and other natives seedlings popping up in her garden and when she offered them, just couldn’t refuse. I ended up with 44 totara, 2 pseudopanax, 1 lemonwood & 2 coprosma. Most have been potted up forplanting out later. Kevin also has had around 40 odd native plants donated too – karaka, koromiko,...
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March Report 2022

Posted by on Apr 5, 2022 | 0 comments Will Reports: It has been a good growing season; now and then. January and March had less than average rainfall but February had more than three and a half times the monthly average so it seems that this made up for the shortfall in the other months. And with all the carbon around (so they say) it has been great for the trees and shrubs for growth and producing all that extra oxygen for us. Yet,...
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February Report 2022

Posted by on Mar 5, 2022 | 0 comments Will Reports: We have done some track and windfall maintenance and some search and destroy of weeds like Banana Passion Fruit, Old Man’s Beard and Himalayan Honeysuckle. Planted some renga renga and sowed some seed to try and get some undergrowth established under the existing trees. Another day I met up with a group of home schooled kids on the track so took them on a little tour. They...
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January Report 2022

Posted by on Feb 18, 2022 | 0 comments Will Reports: More summer weedeating over six days in January and now completed and just before the recent rainfall. Interesting how it does fall – with this recent rainfall until Friday 4th morning: Near the start of the track above Hill St, Alastair had 72mm. At my place (below Hill Street) 57mm, Kevin, a little further down from me 64mm and Mike (just off GladstoneRoad) 45mm. And at...
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End of Year Report 2021

Posted by on Jan 13, 2022 | 0 comments Alastair Mackintosh Reports: Hi Will. Nothing much once again for this past month. Getting to be a bit of a habit. Which means perhaps – just perhaps – we are all getting on top of these nasties. One hedgehog in total. All traps still in place, but not much sign of anything. More than usual activity with regards to Kereru at the moment. I think they may have nested once again in a...
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November Report 2021

Posted by on Dec 5, 2021 | 0 comments Will Reports: Earlier we have had problems with rabbits eating the tops of some of this years plants around Grassy Saddle but talking to Simon Rayward, and he has been sorting out  things on his property and combined with the long grass now, hopefully the rabbit numbers have been reduced.  We have received donations from Ken Lefever and Mark, (sorry but I don’t know his full name....
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October 2021

Posted by on Nov 7, 2021 | 0 comments Kevin Reports: We have had a good Spring with rain scattered through, and this has been good for plant growth. We have planted or replanted the last of the trees and shrubs for the season. A new table has been placed on Grassy Saddle, thanks to David Burt and Richard Hilton for their help. Runoff from the cleared forest land has caused problems with the walking track, and our next project is to...
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September 2021

Posted by on Oct 6, 2021 | 0 comments Kevin Reports: Recent heavy rain events seem to have caused sheetwash to knock down and remove understorey plants on some steeper areas, so with Will we have we have planted multitudes of small Rengarenga. We have also planted In gaps with Coprosma and Manuka around on Grassy Saddle, and I have put more tussocks (Red, Blue, Curled) and Haloragus around the edge of Table Flat. With Will we have...
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August 2021

Posted by on Sep 8, 2021 | 0 comments Will Reports: With the Chinese virus lockdowns on the go, not very much work done up the gully. However, the traps were checked, some before the lockdown too. A little bit confusing as the Nelson CC stopped traps being checked while DoC carried on! Many people walked the tracks (but were they 2m apart??) As Dawn reported: “I have just been up the Gully and gosh, there were soooo many people. The...
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July 2021

Posted by on Aug 14, 2021 | 0 comments Will Reports: A lot of rain happened this month but not much by the native planting & weed-disposal gang. The trappers have been busy though, doing their rounds of the traplines. Plenty of dog walkers not under control as per usual. The photos were taken in a “dogs on lead area” No wonder that the weka are scarce now.And some people are using the closed track by Grassy Saddle. How do they...
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June 2021

Posted by on Jul 11, 2021 | 0 comments Will Reports: A Great Day on Wednesday the 23rd June for the help we received and the sunny day. Twenty two people from our group, Keep Richmond Beautiful and council staff and contractors. Also included were some friends of Bruce’s. Five hundred natives plants all in before lunchtime (gone by lunchtime!) The photo at left shows the line up of vehicles on Hill Street from where we ferried people...
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May 2021

Posted by on Jun 13, 2021 | 0 comments Will Reports: A welcome to Marleen who wishes to join the group and thanks to Brent Beloe for his donation of a larger tree, which we planted up near Grassy Saddle. For me, I’m retiring from all voluntary work at the end of this planting season. It’s been a long journey of doing this from talking to scout/cubs/girl guides/venturers, school classes and youth groups on the outdoors in one form or...
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